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Pond filter size Pond filter size, how big or small? How does it work? The filter media is home to millions of micro bacteria (they soon reproduce) they live off the "nasty" bits in the water (its actually called the Nitrogen Cycle, but i will not bore you with the chemistry) the "nasty bits" actually come from the fish. Think about it, living in the same water day in and day out. You have a toilet, fish don't Getting a filter You can get a filter from all aquatic shops or via the web, you can also make your own, this is a guide as how they work and what size you should get. Filter size You are designing your pond and want to know how big you filter should be? if you are not sure why you should have a filter or what it does then see here Basically a pond filter size should be such that it is at least one third the size of the Surface area of your pond (some koi people say at least one half) so for example if your pond is 10 x 9 (total 90 square units) then one third is 30 units. However this does not mean that you filter should be say 10 x 3 units) to equal 30 units) it is the surface are of the filter media. Filter media There are too many brands of filter media to list, but they all work the same way. Each type of media has a surface area, all are different shapes / sizes to each other to give "the best surface area" the choice is yours. Filter media should not be confused with filter sponges (most commonly available "box filters" have 3 layers of different coloured sponge, varying in coarseness, this is to remove particles from the water before it gets to the filter media itself. some filters have brushes or / as well as layers of foam these also serve to remove particles from the water.) Filter box Most "off the shelf" filters are just a plastic box with filter sponges and filter media and a "spray bar" the spray bar is usually just a pipe "blocked" at one end with holes drilled in it this is to give an "even spread" of the incoming water. the more expensive ones also have bottom drains to make it easier to clean the filter (operate the valve and it lets out all the water / sludge build up) Maintenance Pond filters should be cleaned at least once a year (more often depending on how clogged the filters get) when cleaning a filter you should only clean the sponge layers not the filter media, this is because the media is inhabited by millions of microscopic bacteria that are doing a good job, if you clean the media you will wash them all away, but the sponges do become blocked, and so will need cleaning, but you should use a bucket of pond water as tap water contains chemicals (safe to us but not bacteria) which will kill the helpful bacteria. Flow rate Now you have chosen a filter what about getting the water to it, The size of pump depends on volume of water (including that in the filter) it should be capable of pumping the entire volume of water through the filter every 3 - 4 hours so if your pond is say 1000 units then you will need a pump that can pump 250 units / hour minimum When choosing a pump its maximum head should also be taken into consideration, this is the height to which the pump can pump water up to. In this example you do not want a pump that can pump up to 250 units / hour at 0 feet (this means at a higher level the pump can pump say 150 units up to 3 feet which is not what you want, you want 250 units at the height of your filter.) You should also take into consideration the size of pipe you are using any bends (less bends the better) and also your U.V. Returning the water Once the water has been filtered the easiest way to return it to your pond is via the filters outlet pipe, hanging over the edge of the pond. However this may not fit in with the decor of the pond and you may wish to construct a waterfall. Although doing this you should be aware of the noise the water will create (especially at night when there is low ambient noise) some people have the filter return via a waterfall but with a very short fall from the edge of the fall to the water surface, so they still have a waterfall which looks nice but low noise. You may also want to read this Over wintering Although in the colder months the bacteria will stop working, I suggest that you turn the pump flow rate down, also remove the U.V clarifier (so if the water freezes the U.V. will not be damaged) this is just to keep the filter "ticking over" I am of the opinion that if you turn the filter off when you turn it back on you will be dumping a whole load of dead bacteria into the pond Note I mention "units" as this avoids confusion, your units could be gallons, litres, feet or metres, please use the appropriate units for your country. This page is dedicated to Darla (from Canada) 1249 10 05 12 301006
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